The End
by moongoddess286
Summary: Alternate end to MR3, contains spoilers, beware. Just fluff, fun to write. Oneshot turned longer. More FAX than the real MR3, thank goodness. Come on, JP.
1. Chapter 1

_When I saw them at last, on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, I almost couldn't speak. Nudge, Total, Angel and I coasted to a landing on the beach, feeling the sand squeak under our shoes._

_There was a line of gnarled oaks at the top of the beach, and I looked through them, then checked my watch._

"_You're late."_

And there he was, eating an apple, leaning casually against a tree. He was bruised and looked exhausted, but it was him and not just some moving picture thousands of miles a way. It was truly Fang.

I started running.

It wasn't planned, it wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't even a thought, really. It just happened.

His head crashed toward me the same moment mine went to his, and our lips met with all the force any emotion could contain.

My hands reached up to grip his neck; his went around my waist. It really _was_ Fang, and he was here. With me. We were together.

Sometimes, there's just this little thing that you know, even if you don't know you know it. It sits in the back of your mind, waiting for your subconscious to quit working and jump into knowledgeable existence. And when it does appear, you feel like a million things at once.

If there were words to describe the bliss I was experiencing physically, it was this: euphoric.

If there was anything to describe what I was experiencing inside my head, it was this: epiphany.

Those million things sorted themselves out into one concise thought:

I liked Fang.

Oh.

It was as simple as that.

We kissed for God knows how long. God knows who cares—I sure didn't.

And suddenly I was pulled back to earth by Fang's lips breaking away from mine.

We both took time to breathe.

Oh my god.

I had kissed Fang.

As my mind repeated this over and over again, I looked through my happy disbelief up at Fang.

"Hey," he said hoarsely, as if we hadn't just shared a moment of heady passion. His face was as solemn as ever, but his eyes had something new in them.

His eyes were what made me chuckle weakly.

We both laughed, and finally I knew what I was saving the world for.

"Ummm..." Someone cleared their throat loudly, disrupting the loud silence that had fallen. Another giggled.

Fang and I sprang apart like opposite poles of a magnet. You could have fried an egg on my face, by the way it was feeling. How could I had forgotten the _entire flock_ was _right there_, but I glanced at Fang. Could he be smiling and reddening at the same time? Apparently so could I.

"Did they just..." Iggy began, sounding apprehensive.

Nudge and Angel giggled again. "Yes," Gazzy said faintly. He looked a little awed, not to mention nauseous. "Yes, they did," he repeated.

God, I had missed them. Trying to not broadcast every feeling I was experiencing on my face, I hugged Iggy tightly.

"Nice homecoming," he whispered sarcastically in my ear.

I thumped him a little harder than I normally would have done on his back. "Thanks," I said softly, not meanly. I wasn't recovered enough to say anything more intelligent. I don't think I could have strung together a whole sentence at that point, but I wasn't about to tell him that. I squeezed him a little tighter and let go. Then I realized something.

"Where the _hell_ have you guys been?" I yelled. "You should have seen the crap we were in!"

"Right back at you," Fang said calmly. "I told you, we had some Flyboy issues."

Right, because a few gun-toting robots took first place over a school of maniac scientists, a bunch of genetically altered freaks who knew how to fight, and, oh yeah, another few hundred gun-toting robots, all bent on killing us. I glared at Fang, but I wasn't going to let him know how much help we needed. _I_ needed.

"You should have been there," I mumbled lamely. He raised his eyebrows at me, saying _I-know-what-you're-doing-so-don't-try-to-change-the-subject_ without words. Plus a bit more.

I crossed the remaining space that separated me from Gazzy and pulled him close to me. Was it just me, or did he even look older than before? They all did. Why did we split up the flock, again? The reason couldn't have been that important. Suddenly, it all caught up to me—the Itex escapade, Ari, reuniting with half my soul, my parents, Fang...

"Okay, people. I'm dead. Bring on the food."

We ate, and talked, and I yelled at the guys some more. I tried as hard as I could to not think about the future, and what could happen. It didn't work too well.

It was a group decision to sleep on the beach. I mean, how often do poor mutants like us get a vacation? It seemed like we were way overdue, and the lulling waves knocked us out, one by one. Of course Fang and I stayed awake, each stubbornly waiting for the other to fall asleep. I could have been on a bed of mousetraps and still fallen asleep, but someone had to keep watch. And it was not going to be Fang.

The fire reduced to glowing embers, and with nothing to break the monotony, my thoughts wandered back to Ari, my parents. All the things I didn't want to think about.

Jeb, my father. How many times had I fantasized that that could be true, knowing in the back of my head that it wasn't, and never would be? Too many times. And I was still surprised.

Even more disturbing was my...mother. I shuddered. Was there no mercy in the world? Dr. Martinez was the only person I had ever cared for who wasn't involved in the madness that is my crazy, twisted life. But even she was. I just can't live without endangering the people around me. Or was it planned that I never mingle with those who don't already know my weight, height, wingspan and name?

Would I ever call her 'Mom' and stop thinking of her as Dr. Martinez? More important, would I see her again, or would saving the world constrict the potential to lead a normal life?

_This is so messed up_, I thought angrily. _I would say it's not fair, but that sentiment is so overused with our lives that I think it's lost meaning._

Fang must have noticed my expression. He was studying my face when I looked up at him, and it came rushing back to me. The kiss...the implications.

The tension in the air grew stronger. I imagined the words that no one dared speak hanging in the space between us: _What next?_

He was sitting across the fire from me, gazing at me over the smoldering ashes. I stared back and made a split decision. No matter what, it wasn't going to get weird with us. He was my best friend, and I wasn't going to lose him to some strange hormone-crazed bout of uncertainty. Although this didn't feel like it could be caused by chemicals...it was much stronger than that. Not that I had any doubt about how strong chemicals were. Hello, I have a pair of freaking _wings_!

I stood up abruptly and sat beside him on the sand. "Look, I want—"

"I couldn't do it," he interrupted softly. I could feel the surprise on my face.

"Do what?" I said, matching my tone to his.

"Lead them, the flock. With only three of us, I sucked at it. And you do it all the time with _six_. I mean, I knew you had some major boss-issues, but apparently you have to serious leadership problems to survive. We didn't do so well." He snorted. "Forget that. _I_ didn't do so well."

Given, this ranked pretty high on Fang's length of dialogue list, but my mouth was hanging open because of what he'd said, not how much. He stared into the fire. "You couldn't have done that bad. I mess up all the time. You think this is prime childhood for everyone? Not exactly. Plus you had the added bonus of lacking half the flock, which screwed us all up."

Fang looked up from the dying fire into my eyes. "You don't mess up all the time," he said.

I couldn't look away from his face. The night was dark and shadowy, and his eyes stood out from his cheekbones like a streetlamp at midnight.

We were sitting so close together. When had that happened? I spoke quickly, to get myself back on track. "Well, you not doing well could be a good thing. It means you don't have the same issues I do."

He leaned even closer. "True," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes, but then I felt his lips on mine. He was soft and warm, and his hand was resting on my neck. My eyes closed involuntarily, and I lost myself into the kiss. We both wanted this so badly. Then I realized that this was exactly what I came over to put an end to.

It took everything I had to break away from him, and he was still so near. He hesitated before moving his hand to his side, sliding back. We made eye contact at the same time. He was hurt; I could see it.

"Fang, we can't do this."

Great, I had used the cliché line from basically all the badly made movies. Smart move, Max.

I grimaced. "I can't risk splitting the flock up again." There, that sounded slightly more un-scripted. "I don't think I could take it. _They_ could take it. If this doesn't work out—"

"What makes you think it won't work out?" he murmured gently.

I had to think about that one. "It's not that it _definitely_ won't, it's _if_ it doesn't. I can't..." I trailed off.

His fingers cupped my chin, lifting my eyes to look at his. "Max," he said. He peered intently into my eyes, trying to read my mind. At least that's what it seemed he was doing. I was definitely doing the same to him.

"What," I breathed mindlessly, totally lost in his eyes. His gaze intensified, and he slid over to me. Our legs touched.

"Max?" he said again, softly, with an unspoken question in it. Words were beyond me.

Fang took my silence as an answer. To what question, I don't know. He paused, started to turn away, and I made up my mind.

No matter what, we weren't going away from each other. Ever. It just wasn't going to happen. I don't care what it would take, but we belonged together, the entire flock. Including Fang and I.

As long as that was the case, why not make the best of it?

That breakthrough propelled me to act, and not to wait. I didn't think, didn't hesitate.

I seized his face with renewed strength and kissed him with all the force I possessed. His response was immediate. I melted into his lips with abandon. Fang did the same, and I lost contact with everything but him, his lips, his face, the reckless feeling running through my body. I felt like I was being electrocuted over and over again, but the current was so much more powerful than electricity, more alive, and I didn't ever want to stop.

**A/N: Here's replacement chapter numero un. It's kind of different, because I re-read it and freaked at how OOC it was and changed a lot. So, I hope you like it. **

**Also, if you thought the first was better and this just ruined the entire thing for you, keep an eye out for my oneshot, Questions. It's just the former first chapter. **

**Please review - I still want to hear feedback. Especially now, actually, because this is new and I'm very unsure if I like it or not.**


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to sun in my eyes, loud voices nearby, and the realization that sleeping on sand wasn't the best idea. I groaned and rolled over, trying to recover my brain back from sleepy-land. It didn't work too well.

"Unnngh..." I moaned, brushing tangled hair from my eyes and propping myself up on one arm.

Angel looked over at me. "We have bacon if you want it, Max. Iggy's cooking."

I blinked at her. Huh? "Oh. Okay. Thanks." Was it that late already? Jeez.

I stood up, wobbly, and immediately sand poured off my shirt. It was even _inside_ my shirt. Ugh.

Gazzy and Angel laughed at my expression. I smiled a little and shook the hem around, looking like an idiot, to get the rest of the grains off me. They laughed harder. Who said I couldn't relax? I don't have to take everything seriously! And this was just after I woke up. Some people are so judgmental.

I looked over at the loudmouths by the fire. Iggy and Fang were arguing about something while balancing a rolled out tin can over the flames. Strips of bacon sizzled and spat grease outward. Nudge sat nearby, staring into the distance with wide, unaware eyes.

Fang saw me and cut off his conversation with Iggy. "Get enough sleep?" he said, smirking.

I glared at him. Okay, so I fell asleep before him last night. Can you blame me? _I_ was the one fighting super freaks. _I_ was the one who flew across Europe. _He_ sat on his butt and did what? Yeah. He blogged.

"Bite me," I replied grumpily. I snagged a piece of searing bacon off the 'griddle' and popped it into my mouth.

"I'm sure he would _love_ to," Iggy said snidely. "Especially after yesterday's—"

Fang slapped a hand over Iggy's mouth and rolled his eyes at me. I decided not to dignify Iggy with an answer, stole more bacon, and went to sit by the now giggling Gasman and Angel. Nudge looked around, startled by the noise.

"What? What happened? Why is everybody laughing?" she asked. Angel motioned her over, rolling her eyes, and started whispering in her ear.

"So, what's going on today?" Gazzy asked innocently. "Where to?"

"Well, I was thinking...I've gotta talk to my...mother. About stuff." _About why the hell she let me be turned into a freak_, I thought, but I didn't say it out loud. _About why she didn't tell me who she was when I first met her. About her and...Jeb._ I shuddered. Angel looked at me knowingly, then smiled.

I stopped talking, glanced at the group and was unnerved by what I was seeing. The flock looked _happy_. Content. For once, they weren't wondering about the next Eraser attack and how to avoid it, and escape routes, and how soon they would have to go hungry again. Or maybe that was just what I felt.

In any case, everyone seemed relaxed. Fang and I peeked at each other and passed a look of understanding. He nodded. "Actually...what do you think about staying here for a few days? We need time to cool off," I said slowly.

Angel jumped up and threw her arms around my neck. "Oh, thank you, Max! We can go swimming and build sandcastles and sleep..." She trailed off in happy oblivion. "And the fish! This'll be just like last time!" She raced to the water, Nudge right behind her.

"Yeah, this will be so totally cool. And I like, totally need to work on my tan. Pasty legs are _so_ not in this season," Gazzy said in a perfect imitation of a valley girl.

We cracked up. Even Fang smiled.

The rest of the day passed quickly. We all played in the ocean as much as we could without dying of heatstroke, and when we got hungry Iggy and the Gasman bought some food from a local grocery store. It was the best thing that had happened in a very, very, _very_ long time.

After dinner, Nudge came up with the idea of telling spooky stories. The normal ones, not the truly frightening evil-scientists-are-after-me kind. We all told some [and many were self-created and very, ahh...creative but Fang's was by far the best.

"One night, a couple was driving along an old road that crossed a set of railroad tracks. It was rumored that an entire school bus had once gotten stuck while crossing over, just as a train was coming, and it was said that the ghosts of the children still haunted that spot."

Fang's naturally quiet voice added to the feel of the story, made it scarier. Wooh, boogeyman!

"The man—Freddy—stopped the car right in the middle of the crossing to scare Jean. She was scared, but he was laughing. Then the lights started flashing, and a bell clanged. Jean thought the ghosts were trying to scare them, but Freddy calmed her down and said, "Don't worry, it isn't the ghosts. It's just warning us that there is a train coming."

"Well, that didn't really help their situation. Freddy tried to drive off the raised platform but his car wouldn't cooperate. He kept ramming the keys into the ignition and flooring the accelerator. Now they were both scared. Jean finally figured that the car wouldn't move, and she yelled, "We have to get out!" at him."

Fang was grinning at our horrorstruck faces now. He always liked creeping people out. Weirdo. "Freddy tried and tried to unbuckle his seatbelt. It often got stuck, and of course now was the worst time for it to jam. Jean pounded the clasp, frantic. She was sobbing by this point. The engine worker on the train had seen them and was blowing the horn repeatedly, but he couldn't slow down in time."

Nudge had scrunched her knees up to her chin and was gnawing on a thumb. We were silent.

"Suddenly the car lurched forward until it was totally free of the tracks. The train rushed by, the conductor yelling obscenities out the window. Jean asked, "How did you get the car moving so fast?" Freddy looked at her, still breathing heavily. "I didn't," he said. "It must have been someone else."

"They eventually went out to look around. On the other side of the tracks there was nothing—no footprints, no anything. They gave up looking and headed back to the car. Only then did they see what was there. On the back trunk were handprints, small handprints. Child-sized handprints.

"Freddy and Jean didn't move. They couldn't speak. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew the dust up around them. The couple heard very faint, high voices say, "You're welcome," as the breeze swept through the area. The handprints faded from the back of the car as it died down. The dust settled, and Freddy and Jean just looked at each other."

I swear, if a twig had snapped right then, every one of us would have screamed and jumped a foot in the air. It was dead silent. Pun intended.

Fang grinned evilly in the shadows. Gasman and Nudge let out a long breath at the same time. I smiled, delighting in the shivers that ran down my spine.

"You win," Iggy said softly.

We laughed. It broke the silence, and the tension. I immediately noticed Angel's eyelids drooping.

"Come on. Time for bed."

I, being the selfless wonder-creature that I am, shot Fang a glare that clearly said there would be no room for argument about who was on watch duty. He raised an eyebrow and came closer to me.

"Wake me up, Max," he said quietly. "Don't even think of taking the whole night."

His nearness made me flush. I didn't look up. He chuckled but didn't say a word. That made it worse, of course. Just label me a hormonal teenage girl; the way I was acting made me fit the stereotype.

He bent closer, enjoying my discomfort. That was too much. I looked straight into his eyes, daring him to make fun of me. His breath blew in my face. I was getting angry.

"Don't be stupid," I whispered scathingly. "We all know you have a hard time fighting your natural tendency, but don't let it get the best of you."

I brushed past him with a smirk tugging at my lips. I didn't look back. God, it felt so good to get at Fang.

I settled down for a long night of alertness with a satisfied feeling in the pit of my stomach. At least I had this part of my life under control.

Well, sort of.

**A/N: Well, here is chapter two. I don't especially like this chapter, but I hope you do. [I do, however, like Max being...ah...assertive...to Fang. Go independence!**

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed. Especially those who told me there was a fourth book - you made me a very happy person!**

**That story is not mine. It is S.E. Schlosser's, whoever the heck that is. I found it online because I couldn't think of any scary stories, and I'm unoriginal like that.**

**Review, please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay. –sniff- I wuv my reviewers. If I could marry every one of you, I would. Except, you know, I'm not a guy. Or a girl who's ready for marriage. Whichever, depending on what you are.**

**In any case, you people are the greatest humans ever to walk to the earth. Or aliens to walk the non-earth. Whichever, depending on what you are.**

**Special thanks to Katherine, who finally read [kind of my stuff. And reviewed. _That's_ the kind of behavior I like. Everybody look at Katherine and see how she does it. -points-**

**One other thing: I'm so sorry this took so long to post. I've been in the Outer Banks for a week, and there was no internet connection. And I was getting burned [I'm wicked tan now! YES! in the sun with my toes in the sand. [Okay, so it's not super tan. But it is for practically albino freaks like me. My hair got a lot blonder. Woot!**

**I wuv my reviewers. –sniff sniff-**

Of course, control would be just too good to be true. This fact made itself known very clearly when I woke up to Ari's face.

Yeah. Ari. The one who'd died in my arms. My half-brother.

"What's wrong with you, Max?" he whispered, anguished. "Why would you leave me?"

I wanted to say something brilliant to defend myself, like, "You're dead, idiot!" or "What the hell?" but no words came out. I just stared at him.

"Why?" he asked again. The expression on his face couldn't have been any more heartrending and miserable. I couldn't move my eyes from him, as if they were glued to his own.

But then he changed.

"How can you be my sister?!" he half-screamed at me. "My _sister_ would have at least moved my body. My _sister_ would have saved me..."

This was not the Ari I knew. This was the enraged Eraser who I'd known before really knowing Ari. He stared, horrorstruck and trembling, away from me, and I finally found my voice.

"Like Jeb saved you, Ari?"

He whipped his head back around to glare into my face. The power of his eyes surprised me—he was more than furious. He was livid.

His mouth twisted into a sneer, growling and snarling at me. Then I realized what I had failed to before—that he was coming closer to me, ready to attack.

That's when I woke up.

It was still dark. Iggy was watching the ocean, listening to waves and wind and God knows what else.

"Max?" he said softly. "Are you okay?"

I was breathing heavily, sweating, and Ari's fuming expression was swirling around in my head. Okay? Not quite.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I had a dream, that's all. You want me to take over watch?"

"Nope," he said. "Not tired."

We both fell silent, not wanting to wake the flock. Well, I didn't want to wake them up. He might have just been thinking.

God. What was wrong with me? It was just a dream. And Jeb must have been able to handle getting his only son buried. He knew he was dead, didn't he? I saw him with Ari's body. I was getting ahead of myself, as always.

But Ari looked so real..._It's nothing,_ I told myself. _A dream. Stupid subconscious wanderings. Just a dream._

Out of nowhere, Iggy said, not too quietly, "So, what's going on with Fang and you?"

_Whaaaat??_ I scooted closer to him so I wouldn't be yelling my feelings over everyone's heads. If—key word, _if_—I said any more. Which wasn't looking too likely at the moment.

"Your subtlety amazes me," I muttered. Louder, I said, "Don't hold back, now. Just be blunt. Don't try to spare my feelings. Please."

He rolled his eyes, just barely visible in the moonlight. "Answer the question."

How much did I want to really tell Iggy? He'd probably just report back to Fang, and then Fang would have more embarrassing stuff on me. Embarrassing stuff which I was sadly lacking on him.

"And no, I'm not going to tell Fang," he said, still quietly, as if reading my mind.

"Why should I believe you? Who knows what goes on between you guys—you could have a secret boys-only gang going on and I wouldn't know."

Now that I said that, I wondered if it were true. They _were_ guys, and being separated from all female influence for a week couldn't have helped. That included being separated from _me_, freaking sexist pigs, but that was a totally different story.

"Max," he said darkly. "Answer. The. Question."

"Let me ask you this," I stalled. "What has Fang said to you?"

"Let's not get out of control here," he said. "This is Fang we're talking about. We don't exactly brush each other's hair and gab about celebrity break-ups every night."

I snorted. Then I actually thought about it. How I felt about Fang, I mean.

"He can be a total bleeping donkey sometimes," I said slowly, thinking. "Well, most of the time," I added.

Iggy waited.

"But he's like the co-leader to the flock, and my best friend." I winced. I didn't want Iggy to think that he wasn't appreciated.

He didn't seem to mind. I stopped. Here's where it got tricky.

"Go on," he said.

I didn't say anything. I could not believe that I was having this conversation. With _Iggy_, no less. The bluntest of the blunt.

He groaned. "Come _on_, Max. The suspense is killing me." Note the sarcasm. I rolled my eyes stoically and didn't respond.

"Do you like him?"

I blushed fiercely, not saying anything.

"Okay," he sighed. "It _seemed_ like you liked him when you two were kissing, by the revolting sounds I heard. And the way Gazzy tells it"— he winced—"you weren't exactly backing away. So, either I go more in detail with the noises, or you—"

"Okay, okay!" I whisper-yelled. "I'll tell."

"Good," he said, pleased, and waited.

Crap. I was not getting out of this one.

"I swear to whatever is up there, if you repeat _one word_ of what I'm about to say to _anyone_ you _ever _meet, or even _pass by_ on the street_—"_

I realized he was laughing, shoulders shaking silently. The glare I sent him would have shut him up, if it were translated into physical torture. And if he cared.

I gritted my teeth. "I like him," I choked out.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked innocently.

I hit him, hard, on the shoulder. He held up his hands in defeat, still shaking with laughter.

"Alright," he said, grinning. "How _much_ do you like him?"

"I like him, okay? That's all you need to know." Had I ever been this flushed before? Thank God it was night, and Iggy couldn't see me.

Correction: Thank God Fang couldn't see me. Or hear me. I imagined telling him how I felt, and my stomach twisted uncomfortably.

I wasn't totally sure if the blush was more from anger or embarrassment, although I had a pretty good idea.

"But really," he protested. "Are you...you know...involved?"

My mouth was open. I shut it quickly.

"_No! No_, Iggy, we are definitely _not_ involved."

"Okay, I was just checking. If there are going to be any surprises, I want to be warned. Like, little baby birds running around..."

Hitting him again didn't seem to express one hundredth of the emotions I was feeling. He got the message, though. I think.

"I'm going to bed," I muttered under my breath.

He just chuckled. "Tweet-tweet," he chirped, like a chick. "Tweet!"

I ground my teeth and closed my eyes, breathing loudly through my nose. Boys.

**A/N NUMERO SWI: Kind of a filler chapter. Sorry about the shortness. Better stuff coming! Also, I just got a myspace. Anyone from VA who wants to be my friend? Or even not from VA? I know this is risky and strange, but I want to have some friends on my list. I haven't had time to ask any of my real, live, in-person friends yet. **

**And if I say that I don't want to be your friend because I think you're creepy, don't take it personally. I inherited my paranoia of rapists from my mother, who drilled it into my head at a very young age that strangers and dangers. [Ha! I wish that was a bumper sticker. But yeah. Sorry if I reject you. **

**One last thing: I don't know why, but whenever I do perenthesis or the boxy-ones that I love, Fanfiction deletes the second one, the one that closes it off. I am conducting a test. Here is a sentence that I will say with normal perenthesis and boxy perenthesis. I'm seeing which one works, if any.**

**[Hi there! This is a test.**

**(Hi there! This is test number DOS. Buh-bye!)**

**I'm talking quite a lot tonight, aren't I? You don't have to pay any attention. Just review. **

**-evil cackle- **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Get ready for the long-ness! Happy reading, my muffins.**

I wasn't at all sure we were doing the right thing—staying at the beach, I mean—until we went swimming. Of course we'd been swimming before, but this was…something else.

Now, you all need to know this: I am not a shy person. I am loud and obnoxious, and honestly don't care what other people think. That has come in handy, what with all the wolf-men turning up wherever the flock is and scaring everyone in the immediate area out of their pants. And the fighting. That doesn't help my social reputation much.

But in any case, we were at the beach, about to take a dip in salty brine. Do you think broke mutants like us can afford bathing suits? I answer myself: No. Do you think we were going to waste time thinking about how we look in our underwear? Again, I say: No.

So don't go off thinking about us like we're uncivilized creatures, swimming nude. I don't think so.

Plus, the whole thing with Fang was uncomfortable. But I was not letting it get to me. He was not going to get to me. No matter what, he was not going to know that I was uncomfortable. Me, uncomfortable? Psh. As if.

Which is why his little smirk meant nothing. I had gracefully stepped out of my clothes and walked toward the ocean, nose up, dignified and queenlike.

Iggy and Total stayed at camp, which was on the beach anyways, so we could see them from the water. Iggy was there mostly for Total, because we didn't want him to complain too much. Not that it helped. ("Why did we have to come to the _beach_? It's germy and sandy and wet. Let's go to a park! Then we could complete the happy family picture.") I pointed out that if we were a 'happy family', he wouldn't be talking. And the beach was more of a stereotypical family place than a park. He just grumbled after that.

_I_ saw the upward tilt of Fang's mouth, daring and insulting. But did it get to me? No way, José. Cool as a cucumber, that's me.

I brushed past him and dove into the ocean. It was crazily hot. I'm talking fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk, melt-the-living-flesh-off-your-bones hot. Ugh.

Totally _not_ thinking about Fang, I splashed around with the younger kids for a bit, watching Gazzy do cannonballs from mid-air and Angel convince a dolphin to come closer. It got scared off before Nudge could touch it, though.

"His name was Phil," Angel said sadly. "He was so close! And he was always the scared one of the pack—that's why he wanted to do something daring, to show the rest of his family."

Nudge patted her arm consolingly. "That's okay, Angel. Maybe dolphins just don't like humans. Or birds," she added. "Whichever he thinks we are. Let's go show Gazzy how it's done."

They flew up to him, laughing and shoving. I smiled, letting myself float up onto my back, watching the single white puff pass by overhead. It was so tranquil here…so…so…

Something cold touched my ankle. I jumped, inhaled about a gallon of salt water, and paddled water to see what it was. I couldn't see a thing. Above me, the flock was looking down at me and smiling. Mischievously.

Then I realized. It was the flock except for—

"_Fang_!" I shrieked. I spun around in the water, livid. "_Stop_ it!"

Then I saw him, twenty feet away, grinning infuriatingly.

"What?" he said innocently.

"You don't fool me, _slick!_ Get—over—here—"

I swam towards him, spitting out words between strokes, but he didn't move, still grinning. I was pleased to see that his face had lost some color, though.

"I don't know _who_ you think you are—I'll show—"

He was only a few feet away now, and my brain was debating between two things—beating him in the water or beating him on land.

"It must have been a fish," he said, smiling evilly. "There are all sorts in these waters, you know."

I glared unmercifully at him. "A fish, huh?" I was almost able to touch him. The flock watched on, giggling. Iggy was with them now, Total chuckling on the sand.

I lunged at him just as he paddled swiftly away. Of course.

"So that's how you want to play, is it?" I said, half-meanly half-joking.

"Yup," he said cheerfully.

Make that three-quarters meanly. It irritated me more than I can say to have him be so calm, but I thought about my choices.

A: Attack him. Give in to violence and make me feel good. (I like this option.)

B: Don't attack him, act unaffected and superior and ignore his childish games.

C: Find a way to get back at him later.

Being myself, I decided to go with A _and_ C, cuz I'm just cool that way.

I got one good whack in before he disappeared underwater. I sank down after him. If he got away, I would have to revert to option B, and I really didn't want to.

I couldn't see anything, but my paranoid body registered every little bit of seaweed as Fang's finger. Usually the jumpiness is saved for Eraser attacks. But Eraser attacks are generally a whole lot more noisy than this eerie silence.

When his finger really did touch me, so lightly, I didn't feel it at first. Blocking out all sorts of confusing feelings, I pretended not to notice. He tried again, on my wrist, and I struck with cobra-lightning speed.

I grabbed and twisted his own wrist, and while he cringed into the motion, I snagged his other.

_Goner,_ I thought triumphantly. My hold was unbreakable from years of battling superstrong freaks like myself.

Fighting uselessly, he finally gave up. My lungs were beginning to burn. I tugged him after me to the surface.

"Your struggles are valiant, but of no use against one as strong as I," I said in my best evil villain tone. "Surrender now or be defeated."

He glared at me, and suddenly I was underwater again. _That little…_

Fang was holding my ankles, and even though my legs are incredibly strong, trying to kick his face did not help. Unfortunately.

I seized some sand from the ocean floor on an impulse and pushed off from the bottom. He staggered, not expecting that, and I broke the surface while simultaneously throwing the sand in his eyes.

Or, where his eyes should have been if he hadn't disappeared again.

"D'you think they're okay?" Nudge asked curiously. "Max didn't look very happy."

Iggy laughed. "Someone has _got_ to tell me what is happening."

"They're fine, Nudge. Max is just trying to find him."

Angel's hair was frizzy from the humidity, bleached from the sun. The ocean was starting to look better and better in this heat.

Gazzy snorted, flapping closer in the salty air. The little heads (or, at the moment, head) in the water below were amusing.

"I'd be more afraid for Fang than Max," he said.

"Oh, look, Max got him!" Nudge suddenly exclaimed. "Ooh, I wouldn't like to be Fang right now."

"Finally," Iggy muttered. "_Now_ will someone tell me what is going on?"

Ha! Finally, sweet revenge. What a true, true phrase.

I held his head underwater for a few more seconds, then pulled it up. His hair was plastered to his glaring face. He shook it out of his eyes.

I could tell by the way his eyes were set—kind of crinkly, kind of stare-y—that he was joking.

Heh. If he knew that I was or wasn't, he didn't let on. Heck, _I_ didn't even know if I was or wasn't.

"Had enough yet?" I asked him sweetly.

He didn't answer, but his fists unclenched. I let go of his hair anyways. It was time to—

_Wham!_ My legs were no longer under me. And I'm guessing it's because Fang decided he indeed _had_ had enough.

"Now, now, Fang," I gasped, upon returning to the surface. "You know violence is not the answer. Find a more natural and non-physical outlet to express"—

I was under the water again, but I pulled him down with me.

His hair streamed from his head like Einstein. Or maybe someone who had been electrocuted. More like both.

I smiled as well as I could while being a human submarine. He did the same.

Flapping my hands on the side of my neck like gills, I sucked in my cheeks, trying to look like a fish. He imitated me, achieving 'idiot psychopath' but not quite 'aquatic sea-creature.'

I knew there was irony somehow in what we were doing (Birds imitating fish? I don't know. I've never taken comprehensive reading classes.) but all I could think of was how stupid we must look to someone else. I started laughing. Not a good idea while swimming in wet, possibly fatal liquid.

I spluttered my way to the surface and lost myself to hysteria.

"You should have seen the look on your face…!" I trailed off because laughing used up all my air.

Fang was laughing, too. I know, shocking.

"_I_ should have? You looked like a drunk chipmunk!"

I shot him a look, still cracking up. "Oh, so this is what we've come to? Cheap insults and physical trickery? You should definitely try out for a Jackie Chan movie. You'd be just what they wanted."

He snorted, and I moved to float on my back. The flock still watched us.

"Are you guys all done beating each other up now?" Gazzy called warily.

Well, that just started the laughter all over again. They got the message, though, and dive-bombed, one at a time, back into the ocean.

Angel swam up to me. "I'm hungry," she said.

How long did that one last? A few hours? Well, it was nice while it existed. The lack of complaining about food, I mean.

"Okay. We'll go back soon. But hang on a sec, I want to _try"—_I shot Gazzy a look—"to _relax_ a bit."

"What? Why is everyone looking at me!" the Gasman said innocently.

I went back to floating on my back, watching the clouds roll past. As cheesy and overdone as it was, I did try to make shapes out of them.

They all looked like pillows. So much for that idea.

Something bumped my head. "See anything?" Fang's voice asked.

I kept looking up at the sky, smiling. "Nope."

"Hey look, a flying bird kid!" he said.

I rolled my eyes, but he couldn't see. "Real witty."

The little shore was heaven. Possibly as close to heaven as we would get. Do mutants go to heaven? Is there a heaven? Does it matter? Why was I bothering myself with pointless questions?

Sighing, I drifted with the waves until they rolled me into shore, trying desperately to forget, enjoy, and relax.

**A/N: End chapter three. Or four. Whatever. This was originally chapter three, but then I started another one in the middle of writing this by mistake. Whoops.**

**AND it's uber long. Be happy, young rabbits! The gods have graced you once again! Run free in the clover and flowers, frolic in the natural beauty of the earth! Rejoice, fair rabbits, rejoice!**

**Things to ponder: Should I re-write the first chapter? I reread it recently and thought it was horrible. I want to make the kissing scene more Max-y and not so Me-y. Would everyone hate me if I did that? And should I make this first version of Chapter numero uno a totally separate oneshot, and the new and improved second-version the one for this fic?**

**I think that's what I'm gonna do, but I'd love some input. At least let me know (in a review, of course—wink-wink—) if you made it through this discombobulating A/N. (Grrr. I hate that word.Dis-com-bob-u-lat-ing. Blegh.)**

**I really do feel bad that this is so long. Ah, well. **

**Thank you to all my amazing reviewers! I really, really, **_**really**_** REALLY appreciate you reviewing and making me inspired to write the next chapter. And it makes me update faster. It's a win-win situation, see?**

**...That being said, I was kind of bummed that not many people reviewed last chapter. Is my writing boring? I'd love comments and suggestions and anything you'd like to say in response to this chapter.**

**I'm off to do Algebra homework. Welcome back to school, if you go!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here you go, guys.**

"But, but—it's _North Carolina!_ It's practically a _law _to go to a rental cottage! This is the land of vacations and swimming and sun and sand!" Nudge looked pitifully at me.

_Oh, jeez. There's no way I'm going to do this. _Fang looked at me solemnly, as if to say, _not my decision._ Of course. The one time I don't want to hear that, he says it—kind of. And now I'm the dream crusher.

"But we're _on_ the sand, _in_ the sun, and we just went swimming. And we don't have to spend money if we don't need to. So why bother?"

"Because we _can! _Land of sun and sand and vacations! Didn't you hear me before?"

I inwardly ground my teeth and tried to compromise. "Okay. Yes, I did hear you. But I just don't think"—

"Iggy!" she cut in, snagging him from rifling through his pack. "Iggy! Don't you want to stay in a rental? Think about the air conditioning and showers and food! And you could actually cook! Like, on a real stove and oven and stuff!"

She really must have wanted to go, because something got through to Iggy. Sort of.

"Uh, sure. Sounds great. Would you let go of me now?"

Nudge released her grip on his sleeve, turning back to me. Her eyes were wide and pleading, entirely innocent. Angelic.

And then I knew.

"Oh, no. You can't do that to me, missy. Bambi-eyes don't work on me. No way."

She stepped closer.

"Uh uh. Nope. See, not working!" I turned my back on her. "I can't see you! I can't see you!"

My eyes were squinted tightly shut, but I could still feel her approach.

"Max," she said pleadingly. "Max."

"Nope. Not gonna happen. No way. Not a chance._"_

_ --- _

"Uh huh. And why are we doing this again?"

Against all instincts, I was leading the group forward onto a brightly lit main street. Why? Because I am a leader. I am sincerely and honestly interested in the others' well being. And because of the fact that Nudge wouldn't shut up until we slept on something other than sand.

"We," I said, searching for one sign that would help us, "are going to find a place to sleep, since Nudge decided that now was the time to behave like actual humans. And because you _really_ need a bath," I added.

"But where are we"—

"Ha!" I called. "There it is!"

A neon blue sign blared at us from across the road, buzzing angrily and flickering in different places. I smiled.

"_Motel Six?"_ Gazzy exclaimed.

Nudge gaped. She looked more than odd in the dingy light coming from the streetlamps.

"Yep," I said happily. "Only the best for you all. _Crème de la crème_, indeed." Fang shot me a look.

"But I thought we were getting a rental!" Nudge wailed.

"We are," I said. "It's just a little smaller."

I caught her expression, though. "Look, guys, this is for fun, right?" They nodded. "Well, we're here to have fun. Chances are that there'll be no one else here, so we'll have the hotel to ourselves. Less chance of being found out."

_And better chance of hearing Flyboys_, I thought, but I didn't say it out loud. They're faces weren't quite so forlorn anymore. Except for one.

"What about me?" Total said, annoyed. "Most places don't let me in."

"Well, they'll have to make an exception this once. Whether they know it or not."

Twenty minutes later we were lounging on beds that to the rest of humanity were probably inhospitable, but to us were incomparably brilliant inventions. I knew that I, for one, was not getting up for a loooooong time.

The idiot who ran the front desk wouldn't let us get only one room, because apparently there was a limit on the number of people you could cram in one space. Yeah, like that's stopped us before. We have slept in freaking cars. Us. Six long-legged mutants. Plus a dog.

And we couldn't fit in one room? I don't think so. One room was plenty.

But the fire laws couldn't be disobeyed, could they? I thought about arguing the point with Mr. Snotty-Pants, but that would make us conspicuous.

So we got two rooms to sleep in—guys in one and girls in the second. They were connected with this handy little door, though, so we were still near each other.

Someone blissfully groaned on the bed next to me.

"It's just so…perfect, you know?" Nudge smiled at the ceiling, sliding her eyes toward me. Spread out, she took up almost the entire bed.

"Yeah."

We sighed in unison, then laughed.

It really was great, as much as I had resisted coming. My eyes closed lazily.

An extraordinarily loud banging made me jolt up from my half-dozing stupor and look around.

Iggy stood on the opposite side of the connecting door, looking amused and holding the door handle.

"Door works," he said.

I rolled my eyes and lay back down, only to spring back upright a second time. The door was now all the way open, creaking as loud as I had ever heard.

"What"—Angel said, looking up from petting Total.

Iggy grinned. "I'm guessing this hasn't been opened in a few decades, give or take."

Fang came up behind him, brushing his shoulder to let him know he was there. He scanned our room, seemingly looking for something.

"What?" I said testily.

He just raised an eyebrow. "Nothing," he said innocently, and left.

Gazzy bounded toward me. "When's dinner?" he asked excitedly.

Food. Nourishment. Right.

"Find a pizza number, we'll order in."

"Where?" Angel said. "Oh," she added, reading my mind.

"Angel…"

"I know, I know," she muttered hastily. "I won't read it again, it's in-moral, all that stuff."

I smiled through my sternness. "Good. I have taught you well, grasshopper. And it's immoral, not in-moral."

"Okay, whatever. Now where is the number?" Nudge said. Big surprise.

The pizza was good. So was the continental breakfast the following morning. We all had deliciously warm showers and as many prepackaged danish's as we could take without the management getting on our case.

And sleeping? Let me tell you, whichever caveman decided sleeping on something other than rock was the Stone Age Einstein.

We had a great time.

Now what?

**A/N: Yeah, yeah. I'm sooo late it's insane. Sorry! School is … well, honestly, school is school (l'école, en français). Busy, painful, and totally destroying my self-worth.**

**Okay, if you don't review this one, I'll understand. It's been a while since I updated, so I'll let one chapter slide. (That actually means, review like crap or I'll feel bad. [ But whatever.)**

**Sorry again. Also, does anyone have any ideas about what to write? I've got a few but they all aren't very inspiring. Let me know.**

**I **_**didn't**_** write about Max and Fang sharing a room (gasp) and having…ONLY ONE BED! OH MY GOD! WHAT A SURPRISE!**

**-meEe**


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